IIA. Related Applications
There are no applications related hereto heretofore filed in this or any foreign country.
IIB. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to disassemblable portable bunting blinds having a peripheral frame supporting a hunter concealing covering, and more particularly to such a blind that has a slidably openable top.
IIC. Background and Description of Prior Art
Portable blinds have long been known and used by hunters and observers of animals to aid such persons in accomplishing their objectives. In the course of their development, portable blinds have become quite sophisticated and often specialized for particular purposes, though there still remain unresolved problems with such blinds for hunters. The instant invention seeks to provide a new and novel portable blind for hunters that resolves various of the heretofore unresolved problems.
For a portable blind to be effective, it must be of relatively light weight and dissssemblable nature so that its components may form a relatively small compact assemblage for transport and storage. At the same time the disassembled components must not be too small or numerous or of such nature as to make assemblage difficult. My blind addresses this problem by providing a structure having a rigid peripheral frame supporting a covering that has a camouflaged exterior surface. The frame is of relatively low vertical profile and of elongate, somewhat rectilinear configuration so that it may be disassembled into two or more side pieces and a top member. Prior blinds generally have not been so readily disassemblable and compactible into as small a space when disassembled, while yet maintaining relatively few components of substantial size for easy assemblage.
A portable hunting blind for practical utility must be capable of assemblage in a simple rapid fashion into a rigid durable structure without the required use of tools which may not be available for the purpose. My blind provides a framework formed of channel elements which at permanent joints are joined by welding and at releasable joints are joined by smaller channel elements carried within the channels of larger elements and positionally maintained by bolt fasteners with manually manipulatable wing nuts. Prior disassemblable blinds generally have not provided a peripheral frame with slip-type joints that are fastenably maintained by bolting, so that their interconnections are not so strong, secure or rigid as those of the instant blind.
A hunting blind to be useful must allow users to rapidly gain egress for shooting of game. The timing and manner of this egress are especially important in water fowl blinds because the birds fly quite fast and often are near maximum shooting range when blind egress is instituted. The opening of the blind for shooting must also be sure and complete so that nothing blocks either gun egress or a shooter's posturing. My blind provides a flat, rigid top portion that is slidably movable from its normal covering position on the blind to an opened position while still remaining interconnected to the blind structure. This motion may be accomplished instantaneously to have the entire top of the blind structure open for gun egress and hunter positioning in distinguishment from prior blinds that have not possessed this feature.
A blind to be practical for a hunter must allow hunter viewing of the area about the blind and yet maintain the hunter in a reasonably comfortable concealed position. My blind accomplishes this function in one species for use on a planar support by providing one or more seats depending from the upper end portion of the side frame to support hunters in a seated positioned, with their heads projecting above the slidable top through holes defined therein and with their hips and upper legs supported above the underlying earth. This hunter positioning has the secondary benefit in that the hunter is in a seated position when the top of my blind is opened, so that he may readily position himself for shooting in this position without having to move extensively to sit up from a prone position to allow shooting. My blind also may be used over a pit to allow hunter positioning as desired in the pit itself.
The elongate configuration of my blind for hunters seated in one end allows guns to be supported on a transverse support forwardly of the seats so that guns extend in a forward and upward direction which tends to provide maximum safety for users of the blind if guns are accidentally discharged. Additionally with this gun orientation when the top is moved to an opened position, the forwardly extending guns become exposed so that they may be easily manipulated and moved to a shooting position. Prior blinds have either made no provision for gun support and storage or have positioned guns where they may not be readily accessed or moved to project from the blind and are not safely maintained in a position such that their accidental discharge may not endanger users of the blind.
By reason of the profile of my blind and its peripheral frame, it may be covered with either fabric or sheet plastic elements and the surface may be enhanced by local vegetation or other camouflage material. Many portable blinds of the prior art will not accommodate such camouflage because of their external configuration and the manner in which they open or move to allow ingress and egress, though local vegetation, debris, and similar material well may provide better camouflage than any type of artificial elements.
A second species of my blind may have both the frame and covering formed of polymeric material. This species allows blind formation by economical molding processes to create a unitary structure or one that may have a small number of parts that may be easily assembled into a complete structure.
My invention resides not any one of these features individually, but rather to the synergistic combination of all of its structural elements which necessarily give rise to the functions flowing therefrom as specified and claimed.